In 2014, I launched my passion project, The She Is Me Project, a platform to foster unity amongst women in my community. I use the platform to address issues that impact my community: empowerment for women, women in business, mental health, and addiction. I produce events such as panel discussions, symposiums, and individual speaker programs. The She Is Me Project funds an annual backpack and school supply giveaway for local charitable organizations that serve youth. I also use my experience as a realtor to volunteer as program coordinator for first-time homebuyer classes facilitated by Advocacy to Legacy (a local non-profit).
I believe everyone has a story to tell, and those stories often demonstrate how we are more alike than we are different. For example, the first production featured 5 women--including myself--who shared a personal experience via a monologue. Each monologue focused on a topic that was relatable to our audience. The feedback/comments we received were: you just told my story, I went through something similar, this needs to be continued--it's so needed, I thought I was the only one (some of those providing feedback were emotional). The topics of the monologues were the challenges of obtaining a degree, coping with childhood obesity and the long-term effects of it, and becoming independent after divorce, due to infidelity, recovering from abuse, and walking away from a home after personally completing a lot of the labor to rehab it. My audiences did not hesitate to let me know what topics they would like future programs to focus on.
For years, I had witnessed women making negative remarks about other women, rather than saying something positive--usually about women they did not know. The platform grew into much more than I expected. Personal benefits: I gauge the success of each production by the feedback received--as long as one person in the audience tells me they were educated, encouraged, or inspired or moved in some way, I consider my work done!
I believe everyone has a story to tell, and those stories often demonstrate how we are more alike than we are different. For example, the first production featured 5 women--including myself--who shared a personal experience via a monologue. Each monologue focused on a topic that was relatable to our audience. The feedback/comments we received were: you just told my story, I went through something similar, this needs to be continued--it's so needed, I thought I was the only one (some of those providing feedback were emotional). The topics of the monologues were the challenges of obtaining a degree, coping with childhood obesity and the long-term effects of it, and becoming independent after divorce, due to infidelity, recovering from abuse, and walking away from a home after personally completing a lot of the labor to rehab it. My audiences did not hesitate to let me know what topics they would like future programs to focus on.
For years, I had witnessed women making negative remarks about other women, rather than saying something positive--usually about women they did not know. The platform grew into much more than I expected. Personal benefits: I gauge the success of each production by the feedback received--as long as one person in the audience tells me they were educated, encouraged, or inspired or moved in some way, I consider my work done!